If you hatch them in an incubator, you'll for sure have to separate them. You'll be the mother, it doesn't matter who laid the egg, who ever hatched it is the mother. If a hen goes broody (one that will not leave the nest, not even at night, and she gets real huffy and puffy about being disturbed) then she would be the mother. I always set up a broody in her own hutch, just for peace of mind. I hate going out and finding a dead chick when another chicken decided to peck it too hard. I have one hen who's just terrible about being mean to new babies. She's going to find herself sold if it keeps up.
The chicks need the protection of the mother or a good brooder. Since you're saying a time of when you'll be hatching, I'd imagine that means you're going to incubate. Be prepared to keep those babies away from the adults for 8 weeks or more. You'll need a giant brooder or a smaller one and then a grow out pen. You can also use wire to set up a pen inside the coop, so that the adults can get used to them without causing any harm. It can be quite the process to get young birds accepted into the flock.
With chickens, it's not a bad idea to practice building smaller coops or hutches for when there are babies, a broody hen, new birds, sick birds... the more places you can put chickens the easier it gets to manage them and keep them safe. We have a small-ish lot, but the way I add and remove birds through out the year, I have the main coop, an 8x3 hutch for broodies or babies, 3 big dog crates, 4 brooders of various sizes, and several rolls of fencing for setting up temporary areas. You never know when an issue may strike. A broody that rejects chicks, for example, they need immediately removed from the coop, and they'll need a place to go.
I used to sell my brooder after I was done, thinking I wouldn't need it for awhile and that I was happy with my flock. Next thing you know I find some new breed I MUST have, or someone offers eggs for free to a breed that's hard to find, or some other situation. I only sell pens if I have built a better one now. I don't even needs my husband's help anymore in building little pens!
The chicks need the protection of the mother or a good brooder. Since you're saying a time of when you'll be hatching, I'd imagine that means you're going to incubate. Be prepared to keep those babies away from the adults for 8 weeks or more. You'll need a giant brooder or a smaller one and then a grow out pen. You can also use wire to set up a pen inside the coop, so that the adults can get used to them without causing any harm. It can be quite the process to get young birds accepted into the flock.
With chickens, it's not a bad idea to practice building smaller coops or hutches for when there are babies, a broody hen, new birds, sick birds... the more places you can put chickens the easier it gets to manage them and keep them safe. We have a small-ish lot, but the way I add and remove birds through out the year, I have the main coop, an 8x3 hutch for broodies or babies, 3 big dog crates, 4 brooders of various sizes, and several rolls of fencing for setting up temporary areas. You never know when an issue may strike. A broody that rejects chicks, for example, they need immediately removed from the coop, and they'll need a place to go.
I used to sell my brooder after I was done, thinking I wouldn't need it for awhile and that I was happy with my flock. Next thing you know I find some new breed I MUST have, or someone offers eggs for free to a breed that's hard to find, or some other situation. I only sell pens if I have built a better one now. I don't even needs my husband's help anymore in building little pens!